The Impact of Agricultural Socialized Services to Promote the Farmland Scale Management Behavior of Smallholder Farmers: Empirical Evidence from the Rice-Growing Region of Southern China

Farmland scale management (FSM) is an essential strategy to establish an appropriate management scale for agricultural production, enhance smallholder farmer production efficiency, and improve the utilization rate of farmland. The Chinese government promotes farmland transfer as a tool to establish modern and moderate-scale agriculture. However, farmers remain unable to afford agricultural services and inputs required for appropriate FSM after farmland is transferred-in. This paper aims to examine the impact of agricultural socialized services (ASSs) on the FSM behavior of smallholder farmers through farmland transfer. A theoretical framework for the farmer household production aspect of this relationship is developed. A weighted least squares (WLS) model is applied to empirically examine smallholder farmers’ decisions to expand the scale of farmland induced by the promotion of ASSs based on data collected from 741 households in 2020 in the rice-growing region of southern China. The findings reveal that ASSs have a positive and significant impact on small farmers’ FSM. Small farmers’ behavior regarding farmland transfer is affected positively by the promotion of ASSs. The increase of ASSs encourages small farmers to transfer-in more farmland. However, the impact of ASSs on various steps of agricultural practice varied according to the FSM of smallholder farmers. Our findings imply that the government should take the development of ASSs as one of the main methods for promoting the establishment of moderate and large-scale agriculture and rural revitalization. Strengthening policies and financial support for both private and public ASS providers through financial innovation subsidies and preferential tax policies will help smallholder farmers reduce input costs and increase the scale of production and profits. The findings of this paper will provide a scientific basis and reference for the development of moderate-scale agriculture and rural revitalization.

Mechanistic Understanding of the Impact of EOR Polymer on the Inhibition Mechanism and Performance of Phosphonate Scale Inhibitors

With the current trend for application of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) technologies, there has been much research into the possible upsets to production, from the nature of the produced fluids to changes in the scaling regime. The key question being addressed in this publication is the influence of EOR chemicals, such as hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM), on scale inhibitor (SI) squeeze lifetime for barium sulphate and calcium carbonate scale risk. Squeeze lifetime is defined as the duration of time (or produced water volume) before the minimum inhibitor concentration (MIC) is reached. This is controlled by the adsorption, and later release, of the inhibitor onto the reservoir rock and the MIC of the inhibitor selected for the produced brine. This paper builds on earlier published work investigating potential changes to inhibitor adsorption caused by polymer EOR produced and moves to the evaluation of the changes in MIC due to the presence of EOR chemical. In the static inhibitor performance bottle tests, the EOR polymer alone appeared to show some degree of inhibition performance against BaSO4, but below a level required for effective scale management. However, in combination with the inhibitor (DETPMP) at near MIC levels, the inhibition efficiency was negatively impacted by the presence of degraded HPAM EOR polymer. During dynamic tube blocking tests, the inclusion of even low levels of HPAM (2.5 ppm) were shown to reduce the differential pressure build up suggesting barite scale inhibition or reduced adhesion to the coil. Furthermore, the scale morphology produced in these tests, examined under a scanning electron microscope, was clearly impacted in the presence of HPAM. For the CaCO3 system there appears to be increasing positive impact from HPAM on CaCO3 morphology with HPAM concentration and, as observed for BaSO4, an improved performance in dynamic efficiency experiments. However, at higher HPAM concentrations (500 ppm) the precipitate was amorphous and only a minor pressure rise was observed during the tube blocking experiments. From these observations, it is clear that HPAM can impact the way both calcite and barite scale grow, especially at lower inhibitor concentrations (<MIC) and hence impacts the mechanism by which DETPMP can function to prevent scale nucleation and growth. This study represents a comprehensive review of both inhibition performance in the presence of an EOR polymer and with these findings the implication to field treatment lifetimes and associated costs of scale management via scale squeeze in a field under HPAM flooding.

Developments on Metal Sulfide Scale Management in Oil and Gas Production

Metal sulfide scaling issue in the oil and gas production continue to present significant flow assurance challenge. Recently, a novel polymeric chemistry that can effectively control FeS scale deposition in oil and gas production system was reported. However, how to manage finely dispersed FeS particulates at surface disposal facilities and whether this polymer is capable of mitigating ZnS and PbS deposition is largely unknown. Therefore, this study continues to seek an efficient treatment option for metal sulfide scale management. Static bottle tests and dynamic scale loop tests under anoxic conditions were conducted to understand the efficacy of the novel polymeric chemistry towards metal sulfide scaling control. To mimic various field conditions; individual metal sulfide (FeS, ZnS and PbS) as well as mixed scaling scenarios were simulated. Various coagulant and oxidant chemistries were tested to understand the impact of the upstream treatment on safe disposal of FeS nanoparticles at surface facilities. This novel polymeric chemistry was found to be not only effective towards FeS scaling control, but also towards dispersion of ZnS and PbS as well. The primary mechanism of metal sulfide scale deposition control is identified to be crystal growth inhibition and crystal surface modification. Laboratory test results indicated no negative impact of new chemistry on the performance of other chemicals (coagulant, oxidizer etc.). In fact, an enhanced efficiency of iron sulfide oxidation was observed possibly due to the large surface area of finely dispersed particles. A field throughput study results indicated superior performance compared to that of various incumbent chemistries. Based on the laboratory results, it is anticipated that this chemistry will provide a new treatment option for metal sulfide scaling/deposition control. Additionally, the new chemistry did not leave any negative footprint for safe disposal of metal sulfide particulate at surface. As opposed to the calcite/barite scale, nucleation inhibition of metal sulfide may not be desired as the dissolved sulfide may cause further corrosion/deposition downstream. Therefore, the value this paper brings to the management of metal sulfides is a systematic testing and evaluation approach which confirms dispersion rather than nucleation inhibition is effective control mechanism.

Does Farmland Scale Management Promote Rural Collective Action? An Empirical Study of Canal Irrigation Systems in China

Farmland scale management represents an inevitable trend toward global modern agriculture. In the new development context, the key to solving the tough problem of the insufficient supply of rural public goods is to effectively improve the enthusiasm of farming households to participate in rural collective action in countries with a small arable area per capita, such as India, China and countries in Eastern Europe. This paper adopts the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework in the context of a land system with Chinese characteristics, and uses sample data of 3663 rural households in 17 provinces to study the impact of farmland scale and various relevant systems on farming households’ participation in rural collective action. We found that the advantages of collective action, such as reduced production costs, enhanced risk resistance and improved production efficiency, can offset the disadvantages incurred by free-riding behavior, and the expansion of farmland scale can significantly facilitate rural collective action. Additionally, as the farmland scale expands, stable farmland tenure and reasonable farmland tenure transfer can help to optimize the allocation of arable land resources, increase investment, and reduce free-riding behavior, thus effectively stimulating farming households to actively participate in collective action. However, since socialized agricultural services lead to the separation of the suppliers and the users of rural public goods, the expansion of farmland scale shows a negative effect. Therefore, in the context of the continuous migration of the rural population to cities, a stable farmland tenure adjustment mechanism should be established, while the balance between farmland tenure transfer and socialized agricultural services, in pushing forward rural collective action, should be emphasized, so as to ensure the effective supply of rural public goods in propelling farmland scale management. Especially in promoting the development of socialized agricultural services, more attention should be paid to specifying the responsibilities and obligations of the main provider of commercialized services in the supply of rural public goods.

Evaluation of Scale Management Suitability Based on the Entropy-TOPSIS Method

The evaluation of scale management suitability provides a comprehensive assessment of the various factors driving farmland management conditions. This research objectively evaluated the conditions for scale management suitability by applying the entropy-TOPSIS method with the aim of effectively balancing the space for agricultural production, the development of towns, and ecological protection. First, to ensure a balance between agricultural production, urban development, and ecological protection, 13 indexes were selected to represent the following three areas: natural factors, socioeconomic factors, and characteristics of cultivated land factors. The original matrix was standardized to evaluate the suitability of natural resources, the social economy, and cultivated land conditions, and a comprehensive suitability evaluation of scale management in the Jiangjin District of Chongqing was conducted. The research results divide the study area into four regions based on the level of scale management suitability. Examining the spatial distribution, the level of scale management suitability decreased gradually from north to south, regions at the high and middle levels of scale management suitability were concentrated in the northern area beside the Yangtze river, and the regions at a low level were concentrated in the southern mountain area. This research can provide a reference for the rational utilization of land resources and land use policymaking.

The Concept of Need for a Downhole Scale Inspection Tool: An Appraisal for an Emerging Technology in Scale Management

Monitoring techniques in oilfield scale management are expensive, susceptible to error, are not conducted in real-time, and they are non-in situ. Most scale prediction tools (i.e., water analysis and computer-based algorithms) have their deficiency and the need for accurately correlate calculated scaling tendencies with actual field data is evident. Lack of info about type, severity and location of scale deposits can lead to the failure of well intervention jobs. This work aims to serve as an opportunity to provide fertile ground and basis for utilizing new emerging technology for scale management in downhole application. Research into utilizing sensors along with an advanced computerized imaging procedure in the downhole application has not been explored to the same extent as other applications, such as scale monitoring in pipelines and surface facilities. Downhole Scale Inspection Tool (DSIT) is a new emerging technology which promises to enhance considerably our ability to detect deposits and scale with the aim of sensors and tomography technology. DSIT has enormous potential for application in downhole condition as it uses slickline unit alongside with routine well intervention jobs. The acquired data by DSIT such as temperature, pressure, depth, deposition thickness and permittivity are utilized for downhole scale analysis, monitoring and detection. When the type of scale is known, it is easier to take the correct steps in preventive maintenance or a cleaning process. Using DSIT, the trend of deposition thickness can be detected and immediately known if it is growing or shrinking. This will help to optimize any chemical feed and also generate substantial savings over time. This paper gives an overview of developing cutting-edge technology in downhole applications for scale management and possible barriers to new technology implementation. Using DSIT can lead to better data acquisition from downhole and contribute to a higher success rate of scale removal in downhole. This technique offers many benefits for scale treatment, monitoring and prediction when filed data is necessary for validation of scaling tendencies.

Prioritizing landscapes for grassland bird conservation with hierarchical community models

Context Given widespread population declines of birds breeding in North American grasslands, management that sustains wildlife while supporting rancher livelihoods is needed. However, management effects vary across landscapes, and identifying areas with the greatest potential bird response to conservation is a pressing research need. Objectives We developed a hierarchical modeling approach to study grassland bird response to habitat factors at multiple scales and levels. We then identified areas to prioritize for implementing a bird-friendly ranching program. Methods Using bird survey data from grassland passerine species and 175 sites (2009–2018) across northeast Wyoming, USA, we fit hierarchical community distance sampling models and evaluated drivers of site-level density and regional-level distribution. We then created spatially-explicit predictions of bird density and distribution for the study area and predicted outcomes from pasture-scale management scenarios. Results Cumulative overlap of species distributions revealed areas with greater potential community response to management. Within each species’ potential regional-level distribution, the grassland bird community generally responded negatively to cropland cover and vegetation productivity at local scales (up to 10 km of survey sites). Multiple species declined with increasing bare ground and litter cover, shrub cover, and grass height measured within sites. Conclusions We demonstrated a novel approach to multi-scale and multi-level prioritization for grassland bird conservation based on hierarchical community models and extensive population monitoring. Pasture-scale management scenarios also suggested the examined community may benefit from less bare ground cover and shorter grass height. Our approach could be extended to other bird guilds in this region and beyond.

A 25-years population dynamics of sika deer in Kyushu Island, Japan: Estimation using vector autoregressive spatiotemporal model and evaluation of a large-scale management

Regional management of large herbivore populations is known to be effective in reducing local economic damages and conserving local endemic plants. However, herbivores often move across management areas, and the effect of population management on a large spatial scale is poorly understood, even though it is necessary to use a large-scale approach across multiple management units to implement appropriate management. In this study, to better understand large-scale management and improve management efficiency, we evaluated effects of large-scale management of a sika deer (Cervus nippon) population on Kyushu Island (approximately 36,750 km2) in Japan. We estimated the population dynamics and spatial distributions of the deer and evaluated the effects of harvests, density dependence, and climatic conditions on the population dynamics both across Kyushu Island and in smaller prefectural management units. Fecal pellet count surveys conducted from 1995 to 2019 and results from a vector autoregressive spatio-temporal model showed relatively stable population dynamics and four high-density core areas. No increasing or decreasing trends were observed in the population dynamics, even though harvesting increased annually until it reached about 110,000 in 2014, indicating that harvesting was not related to the population dynamics. In addition, although no effects of density dependence were confirmed, maximum snow depth during winter decreased deer density at the management unit scale. Harvesting represents a major source of mortality in the Kyushu Island population because of the absence of predators. Although, approximately 110,000 sika deer were harvested annually after 2014, it is surprising that the effect of harvesting on population dynamics was not significant. A main cause of no reduction of the population was that the population used to determine the harvest number was underestimated. In addition, it was indicated that multi-management units need to manage the core areas because the high-density core areas were located across a few management units. This study highlights the difficulties involved with wide-area management of large herbivores and points out the importance of accurate stock assessment, reduction of the risk of management failure, and cooperation among management units. Our research is an important contribution to the study of the effects of large-scale harvesting in a large geographic area.

Study on the impact of livelihood capital on farmers’ choice of forestland management mode —a case study of Fujian province

Based on the survey data of 300 households in Fujian province, the system of farmers’ choice of forestland management mode was constructed by using the framework of sustainable livelihood analysis, and the impact of livelihood capital on farmers’ choice of forestland management mode was analyzed by using binary logistic model. The research shows that the factors of livelihood capital have different impact on the choice of forestland management mode. On this basis, the author puts forward some countermeasures to encourage farmers to improve their livelihood capital capacity, develop scale management and reduce their dependence on forestland income.